Book Review: Reaching For the Stars: The Howard Winstone Phenomenon

The Sunday Book Review by Peter Silkov

 “Reaching For the Stars: The Howard Winstone Phenomenon. In And Out Of the Ring “   By Brian Hughes

 “If I could find a boxer as good as Howard Winstone, I would make millions. He’s the nearest I have seen to the great Willie Pep. -Angelo Dundee”

Howard Winstone

“Reaching For the Stars: The Howard Winstone Phenomenon. In And Out Of the Ring “ is a lovingly put together biography of Welsh featherweight boxing legend Howard Winstone. Perhaps no British boxer since the WW2 has mastered the art of the sweet science to such an extent as Winstone. He was quite simply, a wizard with the jab, and had a marvelous defence.  Winstone could also fight on the inside and could go toe-to-toe when he needed.  In fact, Winstone was as close as a fighter can be to being a complete boxer. His only deficit at world class level was a lack of a true knockout punch and this was due directly to an industrial accident he suffered as a teenager that cost him the tips of the fingers on his right hand. The fact that Winstone was able to adapt his style after such a serious injury, and turn himself from an aggressive brawler, into a highly skilled boxer with a rapier left hand, is a testament to his courage and dedication.

Born on April 15, 1939, in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, Howard Winstone fell in love with boxing at an early age and was already a highly regarded amateur before he injured his right hand. Ironically, after his accident, Winstone was to transform himself into an even more formidable fighter; a master boxer.  Winstone won a commonwealth gold medal at bantamweight in the 1958 Cardiff Games. He then turned professional in 1959, for what would be an illustrious 9-year career, that would see him posting a record of 61(27koes)-6.

Howard Winstone and Vicente Saldivar

Winstone fought at a time when world titles usually belonged to one person and one person only. He also fought at a time when the Featherweight division was over flowing with outstanding talent, both at home, and abroad. Despite this, it is probable that Winstone would have dominated the division, and had a substantial reign as world featherweight champion, save for one man who stood in his way, that being the legendary Mexican, Vicente Saldivar.  Saldivar was a boxer-fighter of the highest degree, and during the mid-1960s, Winstone (who was by now the British and European champion) challenged Saldivar three times for the world featherweight crown. Although he lost all three fights, Winstone and Saldivar’s rivalry has gone down in boxing lore as one of the greatest ever seen in the featherweight division’s history.

Author Brian Hughes gives us a great portrait of Howard, both as a man, and as a fighter. This was someone who loved to box, but was uninterested in the trappings of fame and celebrity. When he was out-pointed by Saldivar in their second contest, despite many thinking he had done enough to win, Winstone refused to be bitter about the defeat.

Hughes takes us through Winstone’s life and boxing career, follows his early amateur days, overcoming the severe injury to his right hand, and his rise up the professional ranks. Winstone’s trilogy with Saldivar is written in great detail, from the build-ups, to the fights themselves, and the aftermath.  We also get an insight into how the sacrifices that a dedicated boxer has to make can affect his personal life.  By the time Winstone met Saldivar for the third and final time, his marriage was falling apart, at least partly due to his dedication to his boxing career.

Howard Winstone

Winstone did eventually win the World featherweight title, following the retirement of Saldivar, but his world title reign was almost anticlimactic. The wars with Saldivar had drained him and he was visibly not the boxer he had been.  Winstone held the title for just six months before losing it in his first defence, and never fighting again.

This book is a fascinating analysis of Winstone’s life, primarily his life as a boxer, and the highs and lows which he experienced, both in and out of the ring. We see clearly the price that boxers have to pay for their dedication to their trade. Also, the different effects of victory and defeat and how Winstone built a reputation as a modest and gentlemanly boxer who was admired by all who came into contact with him.

Howard Winstone

Taking into account Winstone’s ability as a boxer and his gentlemanly personality outside of the ring, it is surprising that he did not have more recognition from the boxing world in his retirement. Unfortunately, Winstone seems to have been more or less forgotten by most of the boxing world outside of Wales by the time of his death in 2001, at the age of 61. It seems to be a cruel oversight that a boxer of Winstone’s brilliance is so seldom talked about today.

The cover of this biography carries a quote from legendary boxing trainer Angelo Dundee regarding his views upon Winstone’s fistic ability:

“If I could find a boxer as good as Howard Winstone, I would make millions. He’s the nearest I have seen to the great Willie Pep.”

“Reaching For the Stars: The Howard Winstone Phenomenon. In And Out Of the Ring “ is a carefully crafted biography, which should go a long way to restoring the name Howard Winstone to the minds of today’s boxing followers. This is also a chance to relive the days in boxing when the best fought the best, and to be world champion you really needed to be the best.

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to 

www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

Book Review: Live Fast, Die Young: The Life and Times of Harry Greb

 

 The Sunday Book Review by Peter Silkov

 "Live Fast, Die Young: The Life and Times of Harry Greb" By Stephen Compton

Harry Greb is one of the most mythical figures in boxing history. “The Pittsburgh Windmill’ fought almost 300 fights in a career that ran from 1913 to 1926, and despite being just a middleweight, Greb fought all comers, from middleweight to heavyweight, regardless of size or colour.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 6, 1894, Harry Greb’s life both in and out of the ring was a whirlwind of excitement and incident, and eventually tragedy.

As his nickname indicates, Greb was a human windmill of a fighter, never stopped throwing punches, and from more angles than seemed to be humanly possible.  It seems that he never stopped fighting either during his career; building up one of the busiest records of all time. Greb fought on average 22 times a year, and in 1919, had an astonishing 44 fights. Greb’s accomplishments in the ring are even more impressive when weighed up by the fact that he fought the latter years of his career, including his whole world middleweight title reign, virtually blind in his right eye. 

Greb’s reputation is sealed by his premature death at the age of just 32 years-old in 1926; just another facet of Greb’s life, around which a multitude of myths and half truths have grown.

At the pinnacle of his career, Greb held the World middleweight championship for three years. But, his achievements in the ring go much deeper than that. He was the only man to defeat the master boxer Gene Tunney, the man who would go on to win the World heavyweight title from the legendary Jack Dempsey. The same Jack Dempsey, who it is said, shied away from a fight with Greb. 

Despite his remarkable career, Greb has always been a mysterious figure in boxing history. There isn’t any existing footage of him fighting; just a few silent minutes of him training. Biographies of him have also been totally absent, save for the quirky “Give Him to the Angels” by James Fair, which turned out to be as much a novel as it was a straight biography. Over the years, many legends and stories have grown up around Greb, about him never training, that he was a womanizer and heavy drinker, and one of the dirtiest fighters in boxing history. He has also been hailed by some as the greatest fighter, pound-for-pound, of all time. Until now, there has been little to distinguish some facts from the fiction, and some of the stories about his life and mysterious death have grown in mythology. 

However, S. L. Compton aims to finally shed light on the legend of the mysterious Harry Greb in “Live Fast, Die Young: The Life and Times of Harry Greb.” If the wait for a definitive biography on Greb has been a long one, this biography makes the wait worthwhile. It would be difficult to find a more in depth, acutely researched biography than this book.  S. L. Compton has produced a work of encyclopedic proportions.  Live Fast, Die Young: The Life and Times of Harry Greb weighs in at 715 pages, and features a fight-by-fight analysis of Greb’s career, and also his life outside of the ring.  Previous myths are burst in these pages, not least the idea that Greb was an undisciplined playboy, or that he was simply an unskilled brawler prone to fouling. 

If myths are exploded here, the reality bursts out more impressive than the myth.  Greb emerges as a truly brave and dedicated warrior of the ring, with a unique style, and a strong morale sensibility.  

In an era where many of the top white fighters frequently drew the colour line, Greb wished only to fight the best, regardless of the colour of the man’s skin. Stephen (S. L.) Compton doesn’t just give us a depth analysis of Greb himself; he also sheds light on the lives and careers of Greb’s opponents.  The book also holds a tremendous collection of hundreds of photographs, many of them never seen before. 

Indeed, “Live Fast, Die Young: The Life and Times Of Harry Greb” gives a fascinating portrait of the times and world in which Harry Greb lived, and had to fight so hard to survive in. 

We also find out the truth about Greb’s lost sight in his right eye and how it affected him in the later years of his career. It is revealed that much of Grebs ‘dirtiness’ as a fighter was due to him having to adapt his fighting style to adjust to his fading vision.

Greb’s premature death is also de-mystified, which in a strange way only serves to accentuate the tragic irony of Greb’s life and fighting career.  

 Despite its encyclopedic content, this is a very readable book, that isn’t bogged down in its huge detail.  S. L. Compton keeps things flowing nicely throughout, and the reader is drawn into Greb’s life and career, as he battles his way to the top, and his fight to stay there.  

We see the evidence of Greb’s courage and brilliance in this biography. One needs only to look at his record to be assured of this fighter’s uniqueness, but the exhaustive details within these pages brings Harry Greb’s greatness alive to our eyes.   

In “Live Fast, Die Young: The Life and Times of Harry Greb,” S. L. Compton has brought back to life one of the most mysterious and storied fighters of all time, and provides ample evidence that he was also one of the greatest of all time. This is a book, which is highly recommended for anyone who has an interest in boxing history, and would like to be illuminated about the life and times of Harry Greb.  

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

Rocky Graziano: Hey, Ma, your bad boy did good!

By Peter Silkov

Rocky Graziano’s life story is the classic tale of a bad boy who makes good through boxing. Born Rocco Barbella in New York, on January 1, 1922, Graziano was a tearaway as a youngster and in constant trouble with the Police. He seemingly was on the road to a life of crime and jail, until he discovered that his inner anger and fire could be used successfully inside a boxing ring. After a short amateur career, Graziano turned professional in 1942. There was nothing subtle about Graziano’s fighting style, he was an embodiment of what any fighter named ‘Rocky’ is expected be; a crude and savage brawler with a huge heart and a knockout punch in each fist.

Graziano quickly became a huge favourite with the fans in the mid-1940s. When the World middleweight champion Tony Zale returned from duty in WW2, a contest between him and the division’s newest sensation, Graziano, was a natural. 
In all, the two men fought three times in what has been celebrated as one of boxing’s greatest ever rivalries. The first two fights between Graziano and Zale are considered two of the greatest and most savage title contests of modern times. In their first meeting on September 27, 1946,  Graziano rose from a 1st round knockdown, to floor Zale in the 2nd, and then savagely pummel him over the next few round before being overwhelmed in the 6th round by a vicious right to the body, and left hook to the jaw. 

The rematch took place ten months later on July 16, 1947, this time, it was Zale who had the upper hand early on, flooring Graziano in the 3rd, and looking at times to be only a punch or two from victory, only to be overcome by a desperate fight back from Graziano.  Despite being badly punished by Zale, with a bloody left eye, and a closing right eye, Graziano threw everything that he had left at Zale in the 5th and 6th rounds, in an astonishingly brutal and relentless attack, that ended with Zale draped exhausted and battered, through the middle ropes in the 6th round. At that point, the referee waved the fight off and declared Rocky Graziano the new World middleweight champion.  Graziano’s first words after his spectacular victory were ‘Mama, the bad boy done it!’

Rocky made the first defence of his Middleweight world championship 11 months later, on June 10, 1948, in what was his 3rd and last fight with Tony Zale. This time, it was more straightforward, as Zale overwhelmed Graziano from the start, flooring him in the first and then again in the third, before finally knocking out Rocky in the 3rd round, and regaining the middleweight crown from Graziano.

After losing his world title, Rocky came back with a string of twenty wins and one draw over the next four years, including exciting victories over Charlie Fusari, Gene Burton, and two wins and a draw over fellow crowd favourite Tony Janiro.  On April 16, 1952, Graziano tried to regain the World middleweight title against the great Sugar Ray Robinson, but after scoring a brief knockdown of Robinson, Graziano was then put down fro the full count in the 3rd round.

Rocky had one more fight after this, being out-pointed by the clever, but light fisted Chuck Davey. Graziano retired in 1952 with a final record of 67(52koes)-10-6.
In his retirement Graziano became a popular TV personality, actor, and his life story was made into a film starring Paul Newman.  As he often liked to say… somebody up there liked him. 

Martin Gethin vs. Derry Mathews: Winner Takes All

By Peter Silkov

This Saturday night, May 10, will see an intriguing clash for the British lightweight championship, between defending champion Martin Gethin and challenger Derry Mathews, at the atmospheric Olympia arena in Liverpool, Merseyside. In an era filled with far too many superfluous titles, the British championship still holds a special place in boxing. This title has a prestige that comes from a deep and storied history, and physically, it is by far the most aesthetically impressive of all the many championship belts in boxing today. Hardly surprising, contests for a British championship often turn out to be classics, and Saturday’s meeting between Gethin and Mathews promises to be no different.

Both boxers have good skill levels, but usually prefer to turn their fights into physical brawls, with this taken into account and looking at both fighters styles, it seems almost impossible for this clash to be anything other than exciting,

Each man goes into this fight with something to prove. With  the domestic lightweight division  busting at the seams and the amount of talent that there is in the division at the moment, a win for either man will catapult him into the upper ratings of the division, and the promise of bigger fights in the future.  However, the loser will be relegated to the back of the queue; regarding the domestic pecking order of the division.

The stakes are high for both men in this match, each coming into it off a loss, and know that two losses in a row will represent a significant career setback. Gethin’s most recent outing was on May 31, 2013, when he was knocked out in the 7th round by Ammeth Diaz, in an IBF World lightweight title eliminator, while Mathews’ last fight on December 7, 2013, saw him losing on points to Stephen Ormond, for the WBO European lightweight championship. 

Although he is the defending British champion, Gethin is in some ways the division’s forgotten man, as fighters such as Anthony Crolla, Tommy Coyle, Kevin Mitchell, John Murray, Gavin Rees, Ricky Burns, and Mathews, have all enjoyed higher profiles recently than the current British champion has. 

‘Dirty’ Derry Mathews is one of the most popular and familiar faces at lightweight, with a colourful, up and down career, that stretches back to 2003, and has seen him score wins over Rees, Crolla, and Coyle amongst others. Mathews is the kind of fighter who entertains the fans; win, lose or draw, his fights are never dull, even if he is having a bad night.  During 2008 to 2010, Mathews’ career seemed to be all but over, after he lost 5 out of 8 fights, but he came back with some of his career best performances, to revitalise his career, and become a firm favourite with the fans.  

2013 was a kind of year that sums up Derry’s career, highs and lows, amidst constant drama, and action.  Mathews fought a controversial draw with Anthony Crolla in March, for the Commonwealth title, he then won the vacant Commonwealth title in July, when he came from behind to knockout Tommy Coyle in the 10th round.  Mathews then defended the Commonwealth title in September, with an impressive 4rd round knockout of Curtis Woodhouse (who has since gone on to win the British light-welterweight title) then came the December defeat to Stephen Ormand, in which Mathews broke his hand, and looked to be suffering the effects of a busy and punishing year. In March, while he was still recovering from having his injured hand operated on, Mathews suffered the added setback of being stripped of his Commonwealth lightweight title, when it was deemed that he would not be ready in time to defend against mandatory challenger, Richard Commey.  Ironically, Mathews’contest against Gethin on Saturday is a week before Commey fights Benjamin Ashley for the now vacant Commonwealth lightweight championship on May 17.

2014 has already given us a number of ‘fights of the year’ candidates at lightweight, with Gavin Rees vs. Gary Buckland, Anthony Crolla vs. John Murray, and Tommy Coyle vs. Daniel Brizuela.  Come Saturday, the chances are that there will be another classic fight to add to this list.  Both Mathews and Gethin have similar boxer-fighter styles and like to mix it up whenever possible. Mathews has an edge in skills and experience at the highest level, and the fact that he will be fighting in front of his own Liverpool crowd, will also be a distinct bonus for Mathews.

While Gethin will be looking to gain some recognition of his own by beating Mathews tomorrow, Mathews in turn, will be aiming to get his career back on track with a win over Gethin, which will get him closer to his dream of fighting for the world title before he retires. 

Derry Mathews has said that if he loses to Martin Gethin tomorrow he will probably retire from the sport, but Mathews should have too much experience and overall ability for Gethin, and should find himself a winner on points, or via a late round stoppage, in what is likely to be another colourful chapter in Derry Mathews ring history.

         

Copyright © 2014 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

Diego "Chico" Corrales: Born to Explode Loud and Fierce

By Peter Silkov

If ever a fighter earned himself the right to be called a warrior in the ring, that man was Diego ’Chico’ Corrales. During his eleven-year professional career Corrales was one of the most exciting, fan friendly fighters of his era. Corrales was a tall, rangy, box-fighter, who possessed underrated boxing skills, but often preferred to brawl, rather than box with his opponents, relying on his big punch, more than his boxing ability, to gain him victory.  Most of Corrales early opponents fell quickly underneath his blazing fists. Corrales gung-ho brand of fighting, along with his personable and emotional out-of-the-ring demeanor, soon made Corrales a favourite amongst the fans.

After turning pro in early 1996, at the age of 19 years old, Corrales ran up a record of 28-0 with 24 knockouts, before being granted a shot at Roberto Garcia/an IBF world Super-featherweight championship.  Corrales showed he belonged upon the big stage when he ripped the world title away from Garcia, with a 7th round stoppage on October 23, 1999.  After making four defences of his world title, Corrales took on Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the WBC World Super-featherweight championship, on January 20, 2001, and was stopped in the 10th round, after being floored five times.  It was Corrales’ first defeat as a professional and he took his loss, and the destructive nature of it, badly.  Behind his amiable persona, Corrales was a complex individual, with a dark side that went all the way back to a rough and dysfunctional youth in Sacramento. Corrales’ private life imploded after his loss to Mayweather Jr. and he ended up spending time in jail due to a domestic altercation with his ex-partner. 

From having the boxing world at his feet at one moment, Corrales found his reputation and his boxing career shattered.  Yet, he bounced back, emerging from prison focused upon redemption, both professionally and personally. Corrales returned to the ring in 2003, after two years out, and compiled a string of four comeback wins, before taking on the talented Cuban Joel Casamayor, on October 4, 2003, for the vacant International Boxing Association Super-Featherweight title. The two put on a spectacular and exciting fight, until Corrales was stopped in the 6th round, due to a severely cut mouth.  Despite the defeat, Corrales had re-established himself in the big time. Five months later, Corrales won a rematch with Casamayor, beating him on points, to win the vacant WBO world super-featherweight title. 

‘Chico’ had entered the peak of his career, which would last two years, and be filled with the most savage of pugilistic drama. Corrales moved up to lightweight and won the WBO World Lightweight championship from Acelino Freitas, winning by a 10th round stoppage after a savage fight.  In his next fight, on May 7, 2005, Corrales took on WBC World Lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo, in a unification battle, and the ensuring contest turned out to be one of the fights of the decade, and one of the most savage brawls seen for years, with ’Chico’ snatching victory from seemingly certain defeat.

Corrales paid a big price for victory; he never seemed to be the same fighter again. In a rematch with Castillo, five months after their first bout, and giving away weight, after Castillo had failed to make the weight limit, Corrales was knocked out in the 4th round; his former recuperative powers conspicuous in their absence. Corrales had two more fights, and lost both, being out-pointed by Joel Casamayor and Joshua Clottey.  In his last fight against Clottey on April 7, 2007, Corrales fighting at welterweight looked a pale shadow of the fighter he had been just a short time before; the brutal wars had taken their toll. 
Just a month after his final fight, on May 7, 2007, Diego Corrales was killed in a motorcycle accident near his home in Las Vegas.  His death came exactly two years to the day after his greatest victory in the ring, his 10th round stoppage of Jose Luis Castillo.

Some people are born to live quiet and die unknown, while others are born to explode loud and fierce, for all to see, and once seen are never forgotten.


Copyright © 2014 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com